Corruption Watch, an anti-corruption organisation, has petitioned the Attorney-General and Minister for Justice to investigate the ownership, control and management of the publicly funded Hohoe Stadium/Astroturf and the Agogo Sports and Cultural Complex in Ghana. The petition follows an investigative documentary titled “Publicly Funded, Privately Controlled! The Multi-Million-Cedi Astroturf Exposé”. The organisation seeks to uncover the truth behind the financing, construction, ownership and management of the two facilities.
According to Corruption Watch, more than GH¢17 million in public funds was used in the construction of the two facilities. The Hohoe Municipal Assembly contracted Wembley Sports Construction Company Limited to construct the Hohoe facility with substantial funding from state institutions. However, the facility was not formally handed over to the Assembly and had instead been under the control and/or management of persons associated with former Hohoe MP and Minister, John Peter Amewu.
Corruption Watch alleges that the land on which the Hohoe facility is located had been registered in the name of Thomas Amewu, the brother of Mr Amewu. The organisation also found that the Hohoe Municipal Assembly had publicly stated that it considers the facility to be state property and intends to demand its handover. This development has raised concerns about the ownership and control of publicly funded infrastructure.
At Agogo, the Sports and Cultural Complex was fully funded by Ghana National Gas Company Limited and constructed by Wembley Sports Construction Company Limited. Owusu Bempah, then a senior Ghana Gas official, had asserted ownership and/or control over the facility and claimed an interest in the underlying land. The facility, which was commissioned in 2022, was reportedly privately managed while its ownership was being contested until 2024.
Corruption Watch is asking the Attorney-General to review contracts, payment and completion records, Assembly reports, correspondence, land records and other documents relating to the financing, construction, ownership and management of both facilities. The organisation also wants the Attorney-General to determine the lawful ownership and custody of the facilities and establish the legal basis for any control or management outside the respective Municipal Assemblies.
The organisation is further calling for investigations into the chain of title and circumstances surrounding the registration, acquisition or assertion of private interests in the lands, including the interests associated with Thomas Amewu in Hohoe and Owusu Bempah in Agogo. Corruption Watch wants authorities to establish what land-title due diligence was conducted before public funds were committed to the projects and what safeguards were put in place to protect the public investment.
Corruption Watch stressed that publicly funded infrastructure should not, without lawful authority and transparent arrangements, migrate into private ownership or control. The organisation is asking the Attorney-General to establish the complete legal position regarding the two facilities and their underlying lands and take appropriate action to protect the public interest.
Key points
- Corruption Watch petitions Attorney-General to investigate ownership of Hohoe and Agogo sports facilities.
- Over GH¢17 million in public funds was used to construct the facilities.
- The Attorney-General is expected to review contracts and documents to determine lawful ownership and custody of the facilities.
